Truly Madly Deeply
by Iphigenie
Summary: Seto and Serenity meet at the beach and start to talk ... Silentshipping One-shot. This is my first story written in English so please don't be too hard! Reviews are always welcome.


**Truly Madly Deeply**

"What is it, that you're afraid of?"

Seto remembered this question. Gozaburo once asked him the same when he was still a child. Already back then he knew better than to tell his "father" the truth. Fear, after all, is a sign of weakness. And one thing, Seto Kaiba never wanted to be, was being weak. Or worse, letting other people see his weaknesses. This was a lesson he learned the hard way. People are greedy, corrupt and selfish, that he got to know at an age when most kids are still scared of monsters hiding under their bed. And the only way to survive is being completely independent from everyone else. Never trust anyone except yourself! After his parents had died and he had met Gozaburo, Kaiba had promised himself not to show any emotions again so that he never would appear weak or imperfect. But now …

"What is it, that you're afraid of?"

Now he was standing in front of this little girl with the auburn hair and those silvery-blue eyes that looked right into his. Kaiba had met Serenity Wheeler at the beach. Obviously she had needed a place to think just like he had. At first Kaiba just wanted to leave when he saw her. He despised this mutt Joey Wheeler and he didn't think that his shy little sister would be any different. He wanted to be alone.

Serenity seemed nervous when she greeted him and kept starring at her feet. She must have noticed that she was annoying him. Or was she?

Something about her … Serenity was surrounded by this innocence that reminded him of Mokuba. Seto had never met anyone like her before. She seemed so pure and honest. Nothing selfish or unfriendly in her beautiful eyes (did he really just call Serenity's eyes beautiful?!) …

Anyway, for some reason Kaiba started to talk to her. He didn't exactly know why. There was something stronger than the usual, cynical or sceptical Seto Kaiba inside of him … Something he couldn't name that made him want to stay. With Serenity …

They talked about everything and nothing. Kaiba remembered how shocked he was, when she told him how she was seperated from Joey after their parents got divorced. If someone would take Mokuba away from him … At this point Serenity had smiled. "I guess this is why Joey feels so protective about me", she said as she looked straight into his eyes. "So you and my brother are not so different after all." Kaiba flinched at this thought. Serenity laughed. "That was a compliment", she reminded him. "Thank you!", Kaiba responded coldly.

It was getting dark. "Don't you have to go home?" Seto asked Serenity. He just realised how long he had been here with here, just talking. "Joey will pick me up later", Serenity answered. She looked at the waves, her hair dancing in the soft wind. "I like being here", she said. "Joey used to take me to the beach when we were kids." Seto rolled his eyes. "Finally the mutt seems to be doing something right", he muttered. "I heard this!", Serenity said sharply. She shook her head. "I don't understand you", she admitted. "How can you be so mean?" Kaiba smirked. "Maybe I'm a bad person", he said. "I'm sure your brother and his friends would tell you this." "No." It was the certainty in her voice that surprised him.

Serenity smiled sadly. "I know that you're not as cold and cruel as everyone thinks" Suddenly, Seto got angry. "You don't know anything about me!", he snapped. "And my life is none of your busisness!" He couldn't stand it anymore. The way she looked at him, as if she would feel sorry for him. What had he been thinking, to talk with her anyway?! He should have left the minute he saw her! But then why didn't he go?

Seto tried to ignore this strange feeling inside of him that he got everytime Serenity looked at him. She still kept eye contact. "I'm sorry", she said gently. "You are right, I don't know you and your life doesn't concern me." She fell silent for a moment.

"But I have seen you with Mokuba", Serenity then continued. "I saw how you care for him. No bad person would act like that." She laughed silently. "I think you are like an iceberg, Kaiba." "What?", Seto asked irritated. "Cold? Or dangerous for ships?" "No." Serenity looked directly into his ocean blue eyes. Never had she seen such eyes … Blue and deep like the sea. "The part that is visible, what you show, is only a small part of who you really are. The real Seto Kaiba."

He snorted disdainfully. "Thanks for this psychological analysis, Freud, but if you tell me now how to live my life I'll go." Seto couldn't believe that he was still sitting here, in the sand, beside Serenity. He had never done something like that, even with Mokuba. If his business partners could see him now! "What is the matter with me?!", Kaiba thought, angry with himself for letting this kid get to him.

"Good bye!" He finally got up, ready to leave. He just wanted to go home and forget that this strange encounter had ever happened. Without looking at Serenity, Kaiba turned to walk away. But then she suddenly grabbed his arm.

"No, wait!", Serenity pleaded. "Don't go. Stay." Stay … The only person who had ever said these words to Kaiba had been Mokuba. He looked at her, puzzled, thinking he might have misunderstood something. But there she was, here hand still clutching his arm, her whole expression begging him not to leave her. The girl was serious …

"Why?", Kaiba managed to say. "Why do you want me to stay? I'm Seto Kaiba, the proud, selfish enemy of your friends. Your brother hates me. His friends hate me. Why should you want to talk to me?" "Because I think they're wrong!", Serenity answered, almost desperate. "Then why should I act the way I do?" Kaiba asked her furiously. He was still standing there, shaking suddenly. Serenity let go of his arm as she realised he wasn't going to leave her. "Because you're afraid", she said, her voice gentle as the chiming of bells.

"What is it, that you're afraid of?"

"I'm not scared of anything!", Kaiba snapped. "Of course you are!", Serenity insisted as if this would be completely natural. "Everyone is afraid of something. You just don't want to admit it. That is why you have built this wall around your heart so that nobody will see who you really are!" Seto laughed shakily. "This is ridiculous!"

Who was this girl?! She seemed so unreal, like a vision. An angel sent from his dreams. Only one look and Serenity broke down all of his guards. No one had done that before … And it wasn't good!

But she was so unlike other people Seto had met. Serenity seemed to care. She ment what she said. Although he always thought that people are liars, only working for their own benefits, Kaiba believed her. He trusted Serenity. And he had enough of being the cold-hearted jerk. Maybe, just for once, he had found someone who would listen and understand. And maybe, this time he wouldn't end up being hurt and disappointed. "You really want to know?", he asked her. Serenity nodded. "Yes."

And so Seto sat down beside her. He took a deep breath before he started to talk. "I am scared of losing", he finally said, not able to look at Serenity but facing the sand instead. "Losing Mokuba, losing Kaiba Corp. Proving that Gozaburo was right when he said that I am nothing, unworthy of love or friends. I am scared that I am not good enough, that I can't be there for Mokuba when he needs me. That I will become cruel and greedy for power like Gozaburo …" Kaiba broke off, unable to speak. He was shivering. Serenity was the first person that he told this. His fears … He felt vulnerable and weak. And Seto hated it! He put his hands to his face, not wanting to see Serenitys reaction. She had listened silently, not saying a word until he stopped. But now she put a hand on his shoulders. Kaiba looked up and directly into her smiling face.

"You already are someone!", Serenity said sympathetically. "You're a a good person, a successful businessman and a great big brother. You're nothing like Gozaburo!" Kaiba turned his head. He didn't like this and yet it felt so good! Being comforted by someone, having the feeling that there was someone who believed in him … And Serenity wouldn't give up: She grabbed his chin and turned his head back to hers. Those beautiful eyes …

"You've gone through much, I know", she said. "You think that you have to hide your feelings because then nobody can hurt you. Yes, some people do that. But there are also some others who like you for what you are and not just the title or your money. People who help you because they want to, without demanding something in exchange." Kaiba's hand suddenly touched her cheek. "Really?", he asked, his voice barely a whisper. Serenity grabbed his hand as she nodded. "Yes."

Suddenly it was very quiet. The only sound Kaiba could hear was the rushing of the waves and the breathing of Serenity. He hadn't noticed how close they were. Until now …

Their faces began to draw nearer. Kaiba let it happen. Something inside of him wanted to be near her … To feel her … He closed his eyes …

When Serenity's lips met his, something happened with Seto Kaiba. A feeling, stronger than everything he had ever felt before, rushed through him. It was beyond words … Kaiba put his hands gently around her waist to pull her closer. Serenity's fingers ran through his hair as they deepened the kiss. He felt her body close to his …

It was, as if something would have melted inside of Kaiba. Yugi always talked about love and friendship. Was it that? Did it feel like this? Kaiba was not an expert in this field but he guessed this must be what Yugi had ment. The only thing he knew for sure was that he never wanted to let Serenity go. He kissed her lips, her face, her throat. Serenity's hands were around his neck, her body presssed against his. Seto's tongue playfully caressed her's. Slowly, they began to sank down into the sand …

At this point Kaiba finally regained his senses.

He let go of Serenity and sat up again. His head was spinning. Did that really just happen? Seto could still feel her soft lips on his … "Is everything alright?", Serenity asked him, looking at his confused face. "Honestly, I don't know …", Kaiba answered. He had kissed girls before but this was different. Completely different … And judging from her nervous expression he could assume that kissing the enemy of her brother was something that Serenity didn't do every day either.

"You tell me", Kaiba finally said. "Is everything alright?" Maybe she regretted what happened. Maybe she thought about Joey and her friends, what they would say if they'd find out that she kissed Seto Kaiba. Seto almost expected her to leave and walk away from him, as she gently took his hand. For some strange reason his heart started to beat faster. "I don't kiss someone I don't like", Serenity simply said, her voice still nervous but firm. She looked up, their eyes met. "And I ment every word I said." Something inside of him made Kaiba squeeze her hand gently. "Good."

They fell silent for a moment. "What should we do now?", Serenity asked shily. "Will we see each other again?" Kaiba noticed the hope behind her words. He grinned. "You do realise that Joey will go nuts when he hears about us?", he said, a strange feeling rushing through him as he used the word "us". "Not that this wouldn't be amusing …" Serenity shook her head. "Joey is my brother, he loves me", she responded. "He wants me to be happy. Joey will understand." She paused for a moment. "Although it may take … some time." Kaiba laughed. "So, that is what you want?", he asked, their hands still intertwined. "Yes", Serenity said, bringing her face closer to his. "More than anything else …"

"HEY! What do you think you're doing?! GET AWAY FROM MY SISTER!!" Kaiba and Serenity immediately stopped as the hysteric voice of Joey Wheeler broke the silence. Seto laughed. "I should better go", he said as he got up. But he couldn't resist kissing Serenity one more time on the forehad (partly because he loved doing that and partly because he enjoyed teasing Joey. The poor guy looked like he was about to faint).

Serenity let out a small giggle. "Will you call me?", she asked him. "No." Seto grinned. "I will pick you up tomorrow at seven o'clock", he responded. "Wear a nice dress. I want to take you somewhere fancy."

As he started to walk away and the screams of an enraged Joey began to fade, Kaiba could hear Serenity's soft voice. "I love you, Seto …"


End file.
